Davangere cop suspended for using complainant's car

A police constable of the Hadadi police station was suspended, and a departmental inquiry was initiated against his superior officer, for using a private vehicle without the permission of its owner or knowing its origins and misbehaving with a citizen.

The vehicle in question had been reported by its owner as unlawfully mortgaged by the complainant’s friend.

The incident came to light when the owner of the vehicle, a man named Girish, spotted his car parked outside a Coffee Day at Vidyanagar here in the city.

The vehicle had been driven to Coffee Day by the constable, Manjunath, who had gone to the café with his station’s sub-inspector and her children, as he was their official driver.

The car, owned by Girish S L, was a point of contention and the root of the complaint filed by Girish. He had lodged a police complaint saying that one of his friends had borrowed his car months ago, but refused to return it.

A resident of Ranganath Layout here in Davangere, Girish had lodged the complaint on May 18 at Vidyanagar police station. In that he had stated that his friend Paramesh had borrowed two cars from Girish six months ago. According to Girish’s complaint, Paramesh had asked to borrow the vehicle’s registration documents as well.

In the complaint, Girish also alleged that by forging his signature and pledging his sports utility vehicle, Paramesh had secured a Rs 10 lakh loan from a bank. Despite repeated calls, Paramesh did not return the vehicles and their documents, Girish added in the complaint.

Sources said that Paramesh had also borrowed Rs five lakh from a private money lender Vishakh, by pledging Girish’s other car. Constable Manjunath, who was a close friend of Vishakh, had asked the latter to lend him a vehicle that he could use for a few months.

That is how Manjunath ended up with the vehicle that belonged to Girish.

Manjunath, his SI and her children all were on a private visit to the Café Coffee Day outside of duty hours. For this visit, they had used one of Girish’s missing vehicles.

When he saw his car parked near the café, Girish went inside to inquire how it got there. Manjunath, who told off Girish about the car, got into a verbal fight with Girish, who caught the entire exchange on camera. For this, Manjunath hit Girish.

Following the scuffle, Girish uploaded the video to social media where he said the police misused his vehicle and manhandled him for enquiring about his own car.

After the incident, Superintendent of Police C B Rishyanth told DH that it was a purely private visit by Manjunath and the SI, and “both of them were not on duty.”

“But by using a car owned by someone they didn’t know has landed them in trouble. But using the vehicle of someone they don't know has landed them in trouble. So, Manjunath has been suspended and a departmental inquiry against the police sub-inspector has been initiated,” he said.